SegueNews
The Segue Manufacturing Services Newsletter
March 2010

Welcome to SegueNews! In our last company newsletter we spoke to you about how manufacturers are reducing their vendor base and moving to single source relationships, stressing the importance for vendors to have a strong business continuity plan in place. To follow this, I want to share with you my thoughts on what I refer to as the "Quality Paradox". In a recent survey, respondents indicated that the number one reason for choosing a supplier is quality. However, real life examples continue to contradict these results as suppliers are more often than not chosen based off of lowest price. This often works against the customer when problems occur that cause production delays or repair problems in the field that far exceed the costs achieved from selecting a well-qualified, quality-oriented supplier. ISO-9001-2000 and ISO 13485 along with the use of Demand Flow Technology (DFT) and the seven step problem solving process are strong indicators that a contract manufacturer has the tools and processes in place to drive operational efficiencies, reduce manufacturing cycle times, working capital, and solve complex engineering problems.

Take a few seconds to answer our poll question and let us know the top reason you select a supplier.

We hope that you are finding the newsletter helpful and as always, we value and welcome your opinions and feedback. After reading SegueNews, I encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas with me at pfrasso@segue-mfg.com.

Best,

Peter Frasso
President and CEO
 

 Events

March 16^th-19^th, 2010

Perfect factory operations with DemandPoint's Demand Flow Technology workshop

Segue Manufacturing Services is partnering with DemandPoint to host a DFT principles workshop in Lowell, MA, March 16^th-19^th, 2010.  This intensive, hands-on workshop is designed to help organizations drive operational efficiencies, reduce manufacturing cycle times, working capital, and the cash conversion cycle.  DFT education provides a standardized process and methodology that drives consistent change management with a proven roadmap and set of mathematically-based tools. 

The DFT Principles workshop uniquely integrates process and supply chain design with pull replenishment and flexible employee strategies. By taking the initiative to implement these world-class manufacturing techniques, companies can shift from the forecast-driven, push-based, MRP approach to a demand-driven strategy.  DFT is the science behind pull and flow.

At the end of this four day workshop participants will have the DFT skills and knowledge that have helped other DemandPoint clients achieve the following:

●  99+% on-time delivery,

●  15-20% reduction in labor, material and process cost,

●  25-40% working capital and free cash flow improvement.

Who should attend? 

Discovery teams, executives, implementation leaders, plant managers, human resource professionals, manufacturing and design engineers, union representatives, production supervisors and planners, material handling managers, facilities and maintenance, buyers, implementation teams and Black Belts are all encouraged to attend.

For more information on DFT click here.

Tuition and Registration:

The normal tuition rate for this workshop is $2,185.00 per person however all recipients of this newsletter are qualified for corporate pricing of $1,985.00 per person.

To register for this workshop please email demandpoint@segue-mfg.com or call 978-970-1200 and ask for Peter Frasso. 

Coming Soon....

Demand-Driven Value Chain Solutions workshop

Segue will be sponsoring a Demand-Driven Value Chain Solutions workshop to learn how to model supply chain design and execution to react to real-time demand across a network of customers and suppliers.  Click here for more information on DDVC. More information on the workshop coming soon!

Customer Highlights

“Segue Manufacturing Services provides our company with components critical to the success of our products in the life sciences market. Their quality processes, problem solving skills, and engineering expertise re-confirms our commitment to outsourcing contract manufacturing and engineering services to Segue and expanding our relationship with them in the future.”
- Full Story

Director of Supply Chain
Global biotechnology company
 

Survey Results